This invention relates to a tumble dryer for drying small articles of clothing. In particular, it relates to a tumble dryer driven by a wall-mounted hair dryer which is mounted adjacent to the tumble dryer.
Persons living in hotels, boarding houses, aboard ships or the like, often find it convenient to wash small items of clothing such as underwear, stockings and socks in their own room. These items are typically hung up within the room to air dry. They are then faced with the problem that the clothing may not be dry within a reasonable period of time so that they can wear or pack the item. This problem is exacerbated in cold, wet climates.
As an amenity to their quest, proprietors of hotels, boarding houses and ships could provide small, electrically-heated dryers for drying such small articles of clothing in a short period of time. Small, electrically heated dryers are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,109 to Harvey discloses a small portable having a rotating drum basket 30 and an extension duct 58 for hair dryer use. The drum basket 30 is rotated by the same motor that rotates the fan to provide the air flow for both the clothes drying and hairdrying functions. A similar device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,475 to Stainbrook.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,873 to Hansen et al discloses a foldable pantyhose dryer 10 which is used with a portable hair dryer 30 as a heat source. The dryer consists of a box-like compartment through which hot air may be delivered by a conventional portable hair dryer. The box-like container is designed so that it may be folded to a flat configuration when not in use and may be constructed of cardboard. U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,047 to Muller-Scherak discloses an inflatable bag contoured to the general configuration of a to be dried which is inflated by a portable hair dryer. The flow of hot air from the portable hair dryer dries the garment in the inflated bag. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,071 to Buchanan discloses a foldable garment dryer which is utilized with a conventional hand-held hair dryer and has a flexible bag for holding the garment. Another similar device is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,125 to Hubner which shows a collapsible garment dryer which has a foldable bag containing the clothes to be dried and a hot air generator located in the upper section of the bag for directing hot air into the bag for drying the garments.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,650 to Brahm discloses a portable and collapsible clothes dryer receptacle which is mounted on a foldable frame and adapted for attachment to a heater-blower unit. The heater-blower unit may be of the type usually associated with portable hair dryer units. U.S. Pat. No. 2,793,444 to Turner discloses a portable clothes dryer which is designed to expand to accommodate a greater load during use.
These known devices are unsuitable for utilization in hotels, boarding houses and aboard ships. All of the devices disclosed in the patents discussed above involve portable devices. If utilized in these locations they are subject theft, abuse and misuse. The danger of electrical shock dictates against the use of such portable devices in the bathroom, which is the area most convenient for washing and therefore drying clothing. While a proprietor may not able to control devices brought into the room by the guest, he must be certain that any device which he supplies meets the astringent safety requirements established for such establishment. Furthermore, in view of the constant danger of fire in these establishments, great care must be taken to see that devices provided by the establishment meet the astringent fire safety requirements that apply to these establishments.
In addition, many older establishments may not have adequate electrical service at a location convenient for using the garment dryer. These establishments tend to be of heavy construction in order to meet fire safety laws and provide quite. Adding additional electrical service under these conditions can be an expensive and time-consuming task.
The devices shown in Harvey, Stainbrook and Turner are self contained dryers that have their own motor and heating element. Therefore, they would have to meet the astringent fire and electrical safety requirements for such devices when utilized in hotels and similar establishments. This necessarily increases their cost and delays their introduction due to the long testing process which may be encountered before safety approval is granted. Furthermore, because these devices are portable and are likely to be utilized in bathroom where contact with water and plumbing poses extreme electrical safety hazards, special safety features need be incorporated in these devices. In addition, special safety devices need be incorporated to protect the unit against fire should there be a malfunction in the device or should the device overheat for some reason.
Devices such as that shown in Hansen et al, Buchanan, Muller-Scherak, Hubner and Brahm dry the garment in a static position. Accordingly, it is likely that one portion of the garment will be dry while other portions of the garment will remain wet. The Hansen et al, Buchanan and Muller-Scherak devices require constant supervision as they are powered by portable hand-held hair dryers which cannot or should not be left unattended. The bags or cardboard container utilized in these devices pose a fire hazard should they become over-heated during use and either be set afire or for the bags, melt. In any event, all of these devices do not have the durability for utilization in an establishment such as a hotel where they will be constantly in use. Again, it is undesirable for the proprietor of the establishment to give out devices which encourage the utilization of portable hair dryer or the like, which hair dryers are not provided with the safety aspects described above.